ASTANA — The Central Asia Climate Change Conference (CACCC-2024) held in Almaty from May 27 to 29 addressed issues of sustainable water and land management, energy, food security and environmental sustainability amid climate change, reported the World Bank’s press service.
Photo credit: Shynar Jetpissova, External Affairs Officer at the World Bank/LinkedIn
Dubbed Bridging Climate Goals with Action: Making Ambitions a Reality this year, the conference brought together over 400 participants to review progress, challenges, and gaps in executing climate commitments, as well as carbon neutrality, green transition, and security.
Central Asian experts also explored collective efforts to reduce climate-related disaster risks and discussed available platforms and capacity for bolstered regional cooperation on climate change adaptation.
According to Zafar Makhmudov, Executive Director of the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC), the conference aims to strengthen regional cooperation and increase Central Asia’s resilience. The region’s agricultural economy, aging infrastructure, and rapid population growth make it vulnerable to the adverse effects of a rapidly changing climate.
Elaborating on climate finance, World Bank Regional Director for Central Asia Tatiana Proskuryakova emphasized the importance of tackling a wide range of issues simultaneously, from adopting and implementing green policies to deploying green financing and investing in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and natural resource management.
Caroline Milow, Programme Manager for the Green Central Asia Initiative at the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), stressed that Central Asia is one step ahead of many other regions globally by adopting the Regional Climate Change Adaptation Strategy.
A parallel training program is held for content makers and journalists from Central Asian countries to raise climate issue awareness and build the capacity of media professionals.
The conference serves as a preparatory stage for discussing the participation of the Central Asian governments at the upcoming 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is slated for Nov. 11-22 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The conference is expected to result in signing several memoranda of understanding.
